Product description

Ensure your students have access to the authoritative and in-depth content of this popular and trusted A Level History series. For over twenty years Access to History has been providing students with reliable, engaging and accessible content on a wide range of topics. Each title in the series provides comprehensive coverage of different history topics on current AS and A2 level history specifications, alongside exam-style practice questions and tips to help students achieve their best. The series: - Ensures students gain a good understanding of the AS and A2 level history topics through an engaging, in-depth and up-to-date narrative, presented in an accessible way. - Aids revision of the key A level history topics and themes through frequent summary diagrams - Gives support with assessment, both through the books providing exam-style questions and tips for AQA, Edexcel and OCR A level history specifications and through FREE model answers with supporting commentary at Access to History online (www.accesstohistory.co.uk) Europe and the Cold War 1945-1991 The book starts by examining the crucial events of 1944-7, which led to the break down of the Second World War alliance between the 'Big Three' and the onset of the Cold War.
It shows how the Cold War shaped post-war Europe through the creation of two great military and economic blocs. Key events such as the Berlin bockade of 1948-9, the Hungarian revolt of 1956, the second Berlin crisis of 1958-61 and collapse of Communism from 1989-91.

Author information

David G. Williamson is a retired Head of History. He has written several texts for AS and A2, and undergraduate level.

Table of contents

Chapter 1 The Cold War: An introduction 1 What Was the Cold War? 2 The Origins of the Cold War, 1917-45 3 The Beginnings of the Cold War in Europe 1945-8 4 The 'First Cold War' 1948-53 5 The 'Thaw' 1953-7 6 The 'Second Cold War' 1958-62 7 The Period of Detente 1963-79 8 The 'Third Cold War' and the Collapse of Communism, 1979-91 9 The Nuclear Background Chapter 2 The Defeat of the Axis Powers, 1943-5: Cold War Foreshadowed? 1 The Conflicting Aims of the Big Three 2 Inter-Allied Negotiations 1943-4 3 The Liberation of Europe 1943-5 4 The Yalta Conference, February 1945 5 The End of the War in Europe 6 Conclusion Chapter 3 The Break up of the Grand Alliance, 1945-7 1 Early Postwar Tensions between the Great Powers, April-August 1945 2 The Peace Treaties with Italy and the Minor Axis Powers 3 Germany, June 1945-April 1947 4 The Truman Doctrine of Containment 5 The Marshall Plan 6 The European States, June 1945-December 1947 7 Conclusion Chapter 4 The Division of Germany and Europe 1948-9 1 The Emergence of a Western Bloc 2 The Consolidation of the Eastern Bloc 3 The Yugoslav-Soviet Split 4 The Decision to Create a West German State 5 The Soviet Response: The Berlin Blockade 6 The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 7 The Division of Germany 8 Key Debate Chapter 5 The Consolidation of the Rival Blocs 1 Western Integration 1950-2 2 Stalin's Failure to Stop West German Rearmament 4 Western Attempts to Destabilise the Soviet Bloc 5 Leadership Changes in the USA and USSR 6 The East German Revolt, June 1953 7 The Western European Settlement 1953-5 8 The Warsaw Pact Treaty 9 The Geneva Conference, July 1955 10 Key Debate Chapter 6 The Khrushchev Era and the 'Second Cold War' 1956-63 1 The Year of Crises 1956 2 The Legacy of the Crises 3 The Berlin Crisis 1958-61 4 The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 5 Assessment: The 'Second Cold War' Chapter 7 The 'Long Peace' in Europe 1963-91 1 The Road to Detente, 1963-9 2 Ostpolitik 3 The Helsinki Accord 4 The 'Third' or 'New Cold War' 1979-85 5 The End of the Cold War in Europe 1983-91 6 Reunification of Germany 7 Conclusion Chapter 8 Interpreting the Cold War 1 Could the Cold War Have Been Avoided? 2 When Did the Cold War Actually Start? 3 Why Did the Cold War in Europe Last so Long? 4 Why Did the Cold War End? Further Reading Glossary Index